


Balance

by KiaMianara



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, prank gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-25
Updated: 2014-01-25
Packaged: 2018-01-10 00:03:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1152410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiaMianara/pseuds/KiaMianara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Still slightly set off from their encounter with the Shredder, the four turtle brothers can’t really find back to their old selves and Michelangelo gets the growing suspicioun that it’s his fault. Problem is: he doesn’t know what he did wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balance

**Author's Note:**

> Set after Season 01 episode 10/11 “The Shredder Strikes"; at one point Mikey pretended to have been wounded grievely/is dying and scared Raph. It's just been a joke, but Raph definitely didn't think it funny at all and this is the aftermath.
> 
> I know, the title is stupid and this episode has probably been chewed through thousands of times, but let me put it this way: I never read a single TMNT-story in my life and didn’t actually plan to drop into the fandom. I just watched the new (as in “new” in 2008) animated series for nostalgic reasons and this happens.
> 
> Also, if anyone ever finds a way to kill plot bunnies, please notify me.
> 
> The story has changing ego-narrators. I believe it's half the fun guessing, but in case you don't agree I'll give you the order in the end notes.

* * *

 

I expected him to be mad at me, to curse and promise me the beating of my life, but no such thing happened. Instead he just gave me `the look´.

 

You know what I mean, right? That look full of disappointment and _hurt_.

 

I would have expected that look from everyone; Leo, Don, Master Splinter, but not _Raph_. Raph doesn’t look hurt, he never does, especially not when angry. He curses and promises pain and chases me through the whole lair and then ends the whole thing with a strong, but never too strong clout. I have seen him do that a lot; well, actually most of time have I been the one on the receiving end, so, really, I _can_ judge that, but never ever has he given me `the look´ and he is not the only one.

 

And that’s when I said to myself: Mikey, this time you really screwed up!

 

Problem is I don’t know how. Usually I know what I did, because most of the time I actually do it on purpose. I mean, look at those guys, they _need_ some action and fun. Especially fun. The action usually comes to us all by itself, no matter if we want it or not.

 

Leonardo is always serious and the one with the plan; Donatello is rational and has the most brains between us all; Raphael is eager and has the strength and I have enough luck for all of us and the humour. That’s how it has always been, how we balance each other, as Master Splinter would say, but now that balance is all screwed up and it’s my fault and I need to fix it somehow.

 

Best course of action would probably be to ask Master Splinter for advice, but he left this morning for some ninjutsu-master-rat-thing, so next in line is our fearless leader, as always absorbed in his training.

 

“Hey, Leo, can I ...”

 

“Not now Mikey.”

 

“But ...”

 

“I said Not. Now. Mikey! Go bother someone else with your stupid jokes; I have to train.”

 

Okay, apparently someone else is also royally pissed off – not that I’m surprised. He seems to have problems to get even the simplest exercises right today, which always annoys him, but that’s just another evidence for our misbalance. Granted, it kind of hurts to be snapped at like that, but I don’t hold it against him. It’s probably better I just leave him alone for now and try my luck with Donny anyway.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*

 

I know I shouldn’t have snapped at him like that.

 

I’m the eldest, the leader. I should take care to keep us balanced as a team and as brothers, but since our encounter with Shredder something is just off and the most worried am I not about my youngest brother. Mikey _is_ acting a bit odd lately, but all he needs is a pizza and the remote and he will be back to his normal, cheerful, even if sometimes annoying self.

 

No, it’s not Mikey I’m worried about, it’s Raph. He is actually always a reason to worry; his temper tends to get him in even more trouble than Don’s and Mikey’s curiosity combined, but right know it’s the complete lack of said temper that makes me weary, especially after what I’ve just seen.

 

Raph never withdraws without a fight, even when it is a matter of survival – well, maybe then, but only very unwillingly – and never would he let Michelangelo pull one of his stunts on him without at least promising him and usually also delivering a beating.

 

It seems now _I_ would have to pull a stunt on him, a `fearless leader/concerned big brother wanting to know what is upsetting his family´ stunt.

 

At least I don’t have to search for him, but I’m surprised he isn’t sulking on his bed but sitting at his desk –which I could have sworn he never noticed before – and stares into nothingness.

 

That’s really odd.

 

“Wanna talk about it?”

 

“Fuck off, Leo, bother someone else with your leader stuff.”

 

I must admit I’m relieved at that response – not enough that I will really leave, but it’s good to hear that whatever is bothering him isn’t so bad that he doesn’t snap at anyone anymore. If that would have been the case ... well, actually I wouldn’t have known how to deal with it.

 

“This is not about being the leader, but about being brothers. Something is troubling you and you can talk to me about it. You don’t have to fight your demons alone, Raph.”

 

I’m laying my hand on his shoulder, but he brushes it off.

 

“Fight with your own demons, oh fearless one, and let me deal with mine.”

 

“Fine, be that way, but you know you can always come to me.”

 

If Raph decides to be a bullhead, there is nothing I can do but wait for him to come out of his shell – figuratively of course.

 

“As if I would need your help.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Mikey, really, I can’t just ... bend the rules of reality just because you have a problem. And stop touching my stuff.”

 

I don’t mind sharing. We are brothers after all and sharing is one of the first things siblings have to learn, but, honestly, every time Mikey browses through my stuff something ends broken or damaged or missing and I really have enough problems as it is.

 

“I don’t have a problem, I just want something to help _someone_ with a problem.”

 

“Well, I would need to know what kind of problem we are talking about first. Then I could tell you if I have something that might help you.”

 

“I don’t think it’s that kind of problem, actually. It’s more like ... a communication problem?”

 

“Ever heard about `talking helps´?”

 

“It’s not as if Raph is very talkative on his best days.”

 

Ah, so _that_ is the problem, but why is he coming to me with that when it could be so simple?

 

“Then why don’t you just go to Raph and apologise?”

 

“For what?”

 

He’s kidding, right? It would explain what he is doing here – still messing with my stuff, by the way – instead of talking to Raphael, but he can’t be that oblivious, can he?

 

“You know it, don’t you? Come on, Don, tell me.”

 

Well, it seems he can. I wonder if a brotherly smack on the head would make him remember. I never did an actual research on it, but so far it seems to have helped in one way or another.

 

“Au! Hey, what was that for?”

 

“Think, little brother, think. Last time we checked you had a brain, so use it for once.”

 

“You checked my brain?”

 

“Mikey!”

 

“Hey, I’m thinking, I’m thinking ... can’t you at least give me a hint? Oops.”

 

Oh, no, not my microscope! Not my beautiful microscope.

 

“Out!”

 

“Oh, come on, Don, I’m sorry. I’ll get you a new one.”

 

Not the kicked-puppy-eyes. Stay strong, Donatello, concentrate on the damage and stay strong.

 

“Get. Out. Mikey!”

 

Victory for the turtle with the bō. I actually can’t believe he is really leaving, but, honestly, how can one turtle cause so much headache? Can’t have a genetic cause, that much is sure ... on the other hand, we _are_ mutants.

 

Anyway, let’s see if I can save my microscope while Mikey is busy thinking. Hopefully he will get some headache from it, too. Serves him right. That really was a low blow, although I must admit I didn’t think much of it either at first, just one of his usual pranks, but ... yes, low blow.

 

Who would have thought that it would get so under Raphael’s shell, _especially_ Raphael’s shell?

 

“You don’t happen to know what the shell is going on here, do you?”

 

“Can’t a turtle get a bit quiet time once in a while? It’s not like the sewers aren’t big enough for all of us.”

 

“ ... Well, I expected Raph to kick me out, but this is new.”

 

To use Mikey’s term: oops. Snapping at Leo these days is just as risky as snapping at Raph any other day.

 

“Sorry, Leo, didn’t mean it.”

 

“It’s alright. We’re all a little off right now, but if this goes on, we probably will have torn each other apart by the end of the week.”

 

He sure is right. Maybe I _should_ give Mikey a hint about what he has done wrong so we can all get over with this as fast as possible.

 

“I have a good guess of who, but what I want to know is when and what. Would you mind filling in the gaps, Don?”

 

“As in tell you that when we were separated during our recent encounter with Shredder Mikey pulled a really bad prank on Raph, who obviously took it harder than anticipated?”

 

“Jep, exactly what I’ve wanted to know. Let’s get some pizza.”

 

“Come again?”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“We’re going to get pizza.”

 

“Try to leave the lair whole while we’re gone.”

 

Great, just great. Now I’m stuck here alone with that walking disaster.

 

Stupid Mikey with his stupid jokes.

 

I should just call it a night and hit the bunk, but how am I supposed to fight off nightmares? It’s exhausting, to say the least, to wake up horrified and run to his room just to make sure that stupid reptile didn’t _really_ manage to get himself killed, that I didn’t fail to protect him, every night, while trying not to get caught by anyone.

 

That goes under every shell. I don’t even mind sounding all sentimental and _weak_ anymore, but they are just dreams, right? Right?

 

“OUCH!”

 

“MIKEY!”

 

“I’m alright, just slipped, sorry”

 

Slipped? We’re living in the sewers for ... well, our whole lives and he _slips_? And now I stand here like the world’s greatest idiot, ready to take out a foe that doesn’t even exist.

 

And why must it be Michelangelo of all people with the baby blue eyes? How is one supposed to even start getting angry at him when he puts up his mark trade `lost puppy´ face ... and one remembers him covered in blood and the blue turning dark every night.

 

I need to get out of here.

 

“H-hey, wait.”

 

“What?”

 

I can’t even bark at him anymore. Pathetic.

 

“Look, I’m ... I’m sorry, alright.”

 

I bet when I turn around he still has that face. I swear, he can turn that on and off as if he has a switch somewhere.

 

“You already said so.”

 

“Not about slipping. I mean _that_ joke. I’m sorry I scared you like that. It was mean and I didn’t think it would get to you that much ... I didn’t think you care that much.”

 

Oh perfect. Now _I_ ’m the bad turtle again. At least does he have the decency to sound guild ridden.

 

“Come over here, Mikey. Closer ... closer ... a little more.”

 

I wish I could see his face right now. He must be shocked out of his shell, but when I open my eyes again all I see is two utterly irritated sapphires and feel the warmth of his forehead against mine.

 

“Don’t you ever assume I don’t care, ‘coz I do, even if I don’t always show it, understood?”

 

“ ... You haven’t slept much recently, have you?”

 

If his voice is anything to go by, Mikey must be smiling now, not his usual, wide grin filled with mischief, but one of these rarer, sweet smiles.

 

“How did you get that idea?”

 

And when have our roles been reversed anyway?

 

“You mean beside this situation as a whole? The rings under your eyes would make Mars jealous.”

 

“ ... That would be Saturn, Mikey.”

 

“Saturn has enough rings as it is already. Come on, bro, let us get you to bed before you fall asleep standing here, or do something mushy, like hugging me.”

 

For once a good idea from his side, but when Mikey thinks I’ll let go of him tonight he is dead wrong. Don certainly will agree that sleep derived people can’t be held accountable for their actions.

 

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> The reading order is: Mikey, Leo, Don, Raph.
> 
> Disclaimer: not mine and not making any money with ist. I just borrow the characters.


End file.
